Saturday, December 20, 2008

Tampa, FL

Merry Christmas from Tampa, FL! We didn't travel far this week, and we didn't do much sightseeing either. We spent the week at the Lazy Days Rally Park next to the "World's Largest RV Dealership." We had beautiful weather and the kids really enjoyed the pool. We played a heated game of shuffleboard - the boys came out on top - two games to one.

We also did some "normal" things this week...Rich met with a client in Tampa, the boys got haircuts, and I went to the dentist to have a crown glued back on after it fell off last week while I was eating a rice bowl at Pei Wei.

We spent some time working on our
Jessie Tree. About five years ago I bought a kit to make this felt tree and all the trimmings, but it never made it to the top of our "to do" list. When I was cleaning out the house before we left MN, I came across the kit and thought it would be perfect for our simple, homemade Christmas this year. Basically, it's a walk through the Old Testament scriptures that reveal the coming of Messiah. Each ornament we place on the tree tells the story of Jesus' heritage and reminds us again of how God's plan of salvation has been unfolding since creation. We're a little behind in decorating the tree - it's supposed to be a daily event to put one ornament on and read the corresponding scripture - but we finished the ornaments now so we'll start decorating this week.

Oh, and we enjoyed having lunch at
The Grass Root - a funky little organic vegetarian restaurant in Lakeland, FL. (They also have a location in Tampa.) We met the owners, enjoyed the healthy fare, and topped it off with a slice of vegan key lime pie - yummy :-)

We met an intersting lady with a cockateal bird named Trinket. She got the bird to have a "trinket" to make some noise after her husband passed away from cancer five years ago. Now the bird goes everywhere with her and they visit hospice patients together. To make sure nobody gets pooped on, Trinket wears a little outfit with a mini diaper to catch the do-do. The bird has over 100 outfits and was all dressed up for Christmas the day we met.

Our slideshow is short this time since we had such a low key week. Blessings to you as you prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior - Jesus.


3 comments:

Unknown said...

Wintery snow-covered greetings from Minnesota, my Bendickson family of friends,

While in Tampa, try to eat at Trang Viet at 1524 Fowler Ave.(near the University of South Florida). I promise, you won't be disappointed. They have a unique and extensive vegetarian menu. This is where the vegans meet up in Tampa. We eat here at least once every time we go to Florida. It really is a place you must visit. After lunch, a few blocks away from the restaurant you can visit USF's botanical garden for free. The science museum is down the street (Fowler Ave.) a little farther, and also free admission for the family if you have your science museum membership card from MN.

Anonymous said...

Hi Connie and family-
It is so fun to read your blog and keep up on your adventures. Things in MN are doggone cold... 8 degrees below 0 air temp this morning. But, our hearts at the Schlickbernd household are warm and expectant. We are looking forward celebrating the birth of Jesus, and the birth of our new little one. (any day now!) Love you all!

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas!
David and I love keeping up with your family adventures. I can't believe how big Ashley and Jake are??? One of my favorite parts of your posts is hearing about the wonderful food you eat. I love the way you describe the food and the restaurants. Thank you for sharing so much of your life. I don't know if I would be able to do that. Give Rich a big hug from the Samuelsons.